In My Kitchen February 2016

What do you do when you can't sleep but it feels way too early to leap out of bed and launch into the new day? Some days I read, or watch the morning news and market activity, or contemplate life until I do fall back asleep. Today a glance outside confirmed changeable weather heading our way, not at all inviting for an early morning walk. I chose to stay in my pajamas and headed downstairs to start the coffee. No problem, until I couldn't find my favorite coffee scoop. It turned up eventually, mixed up with other utensils in a drawer where it doesn't normally reside. 

After making the coffee I set about straightening the drawer, muttering only slightly about where RL had stored stuff. He likes to reorganize things and "make the kitchen more efficient". Grrrrrrrrr. This only happens in the house kitchen since the boat galley has such limited storage space (4 drawers in all). 

Photo: wet side of the galley with fridge in the far corner

Organizing one kitchen drawer led to a second, then a third, and I became aware of the number of single-purpose items in my utensil collection here ashore. How many other cooks of a certain age share my apparent fondness for kitchen gadgets, or my inability to toss the excess?  Instead of sharing new "stuff" or food items in my kitchen this month, here's a peek at a few of the items I evidently find too precious to part with.

In my kitchen drawers you will find...

-2 citrus juicers, both of which require significant hand strength and dexterity.

-a rice mold that is often forgotten, so I'll use a measuring cup instead.

-3 zesters, though only the long grater gets significant use.

-an olive ladle with almost useful drain holes.

-2, yes 2, meat mallets. Back in the day when we were active scuba divers (and harvesting abalone was legal) the smooth side of the smaller mallet was used to pound abalone as well.

-an old garlic press and new plastic garlic peel cylinder.

-2 hand scoops, plus another two I haven't located yet. The 2-tablespoon round scoop sees heavy use with cookie dough and occasional use forming meatballs. The paddle scoop was originally used in a restaurant, purpose unknown, but currently makes a sturdy ice cream scoop. RL always knows where this utensil is hiding stored.

In my kitchen ashore...

-there are plenty more drawers waiting to be organized, sorted, weeded, or whatever. 

Now I'm ready to quit for the day - or week - or whatever. When we built this house over 35 years ago I thought the kitchen storage would never be filled. While the cabinets and drawers aren't full yet, it's getting close. It's definitely time to pare the collection as I organize, since new treasures will need some space in the future.

For a peek into other kitchens around the world, click on Maureen's blog Orgasmic Chef. You will find links to an interesting group of bloggers with a lot going on in their kitchens.

On the Move... nope, not so much lately.

It has been a while since I've been active in the kitchen, and I have missed the action. Well, that's about to change as I become more mobile, ready to challenge the 17-step vertical journey between bedroom and kitchen more often and still have enough energy left to slice and dice, stir and toss, etc. Soon!

Last month I planned ahead and stocked the freezer with some easy-to-reheat items for RL to prepare as he assumed butler duties. Fruit with a toasted wedge of sourdough waffle or a microwaved frittata muffin has been a perfect way to launch each day, giving me plenty of energy to attack physical therapy and an ambitious exercise program. 

Sourdough Waffles

Mini Muffin Frittatas

My appetite remains light, often a salad or baked potato is more than filling for a meal, but a quick, reheated cup of soup has been a welcome, warming treat on these cold Autumn days. I do appreciate having a freezer stocked with some of our favorites. 

Beet & Beef Borscht

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Posole with Chicken

Pork Chili with Waffles

This week I have begun to mess about a bit in the kitchen, roasting a chicken (which took no effort save for teetering around on crutches) and then building a few chicken sandwiches and loaded green salads. Just kitchen puttering, nothing special and no photos, but it took all of my energy for the moment. AmazonFresh has brought groceries to our door, delivering impeccably fresh fruits and vegetables as well as the above-mentioned bird and some basic kitchen staples. I could almost get used to being pampered with delivery service and a live-in butler... almost. But I miss my independence, the action of everyday life, and am SO ready to be mobile again! Tons of online food photos and recipes tempt me daily, so watch out! I'll be On the Move-in the Galley any day now.

Plants in the Sink

What’s the story with the plants in the sink? And bare counters?

Everything that might move gets stowed safely away before departure, it’s a boat rule when we travel.  This really is a safety issue, intended to keep things in place if we start pitching and rolling suddenly. No one wants a coffee pot or cookie jar flying across the galley! Clear counters prevent messy galley disasters, even if it does look strange to occasionally have plants in the sink.

Books occasionally slide around on shelves, but nonskid mats under the bookends and shelves with raised lips help to keep them contained and off the floor. If VHF weather forecasts warn ahead of time that the water will be really lumpy, then we move any tippy things (like table lamps) and heavy items (knife rack, etc) to the floor. Rough seas usually prompt spending another day at anchor or in port instead of heading out into exposed channels.

Are there other safety-related boat rules?  Of course there are, scads of them, two notebook pages full of specifics to share with onboard guests. Most boat rules are matters of common sense, but it helps crew and visitors alike to review them regularly… before life gets bumpy and exciting.

We're cruising

We're off on another saltwater adventure, ready to enjoy the scenery, the wildlife and the people we meet along the way. It will be a while between wi-fi links as we cruise between Campbell River, B.C. and Ketchikan, Alaska. So check back in a week or two to see what's been cooking in the galley. 

Follow our travels at OnTheMove-Cruise News. There too, posting photos and stories will depend on wi-fi access. The view from a hotspot at the deli counter in Ketchikan's Safeway makes it a popular first wi-fi hotspot stop on every AK trip. (link)  

Food Blogger Cookbook Swap

Early, really early morning hours are the best time of the day; time without interruption to let my mind wander or focus on writing, an  opportunity to read further in a compelling book, or time in the kitchen or galley to play with a new recipe. Lately these hours before dawn have been a time to ease into the day at the computer, randomly skimming my favorite blogs and often clicking through links to find something new. 

Today I found The Food Blogger Cookbook Swap. I almost missed it, misreading the title, and thought it odd to schedule a cookie swap in January. A second glance cleared up the puzzle, aha! a cookbook swap. Organized by Alyssa of EverydayMaven and Faith of AnEdibleMosaic, this exchange is open to U.S. food bloggers willing to share a new or gently-used cookbook and write a post about it. What a terrific way to connect with others in the food blogging community.  

I'm in! Have you signed up yet? 
Click here to read more about this fun event.
Now, how do I choose one to share? a treasure, yet one I am willing to share...

Storage Challenges

A Not-Quite Wordless Wednesday Post

Cruising in northern B.C. means limited access to wi-fi and the internet for a while, so my posts will be intermittent. Please come by occasionally to see where we're at and what's cooking in the galley. Meanwhile, here's a look at July provisioning in Campbell River, and the accompanying storage challenges. Where did I put everything in those nine big boxes of food?

The fridge is loaded when we leave the dock.

One fruit basket of mango and citrus travels handily on the counter.

Mint adds zing to many dishes; it roots easily, holds well and travels in the sink when seas are rough.

Guacamole anyone?

Basil in a pot substitutes for a garden on board.

Overflow storage in the coolest spot on board... the counter in the guest head.

Freezer drawer #1 holds meats, cheeses, butter and tortillas today, and seafood in future weeks.

Freezer drawer #2 holds more meat, frozen vegetables and miscellaneous "stuff" like wontons and stir fry noodles.

And that's just the fresh stuff. Staples and dry goods fill up three cabinets above the galley bar...

...and juice, pop crackers and cereal are corralled in two sturdy cubes that double as seats.

One cabinet in the salon holds nuts and candy, games, baking trays, and other miscellany. Can't find something? check this cabinet first.

This tall skinny cabinet in our stateroom could hold tee shirts, sweatshirts, and the like. Instead it has turned into a small pantry. Below this cabinet, under a bench seat, a deep locker extends four feet forward and is packed with lightweight items like pasta and popcorn. 

I may have overdone the provisioning again, just maybe, but I'm ready for potlucks, happy hours and impromptu happenings. 

Happy Easter

About That Memory...

Whatever happened to Broccoli Cheese Soup?

Sometimes a good memory should stay just that, a good memory. Trying to recreate a memory can lead to disappointment. And so it was with the memory of sharing a lunch of homemade Broccoli Cheese Soup with RL's mom, Irene, my mother-in-law. Why did that soup come up in conversation recently? I don't know, it wasn't one of her specialties that we remember particularly. Whatever the reason, I thought of Irene and that soup when I had bags of broccoli in the fridge today. I used a recipe from Cooks' Illustrated and followed it to the letter.

That alone should have guaranteed success. The soup was palatable, "perfectly adequate" and all that, but neither of us care to eat it again, not ever. Drum roll please, while I officially remove Broccoli Cheese Soup from my list of soups to prepare. We'll still keep our fond memories of meals with Irene, but without any broccoli soup connection.

Any day now...

Yes, any day now I'll return to cooking real meals. We moved back on board the boat and this week has been full of grabbing a snack or dining out. Not that I haven't been busy in the galley, oh no. I've emptied shelves, inventoried stores, cleaned refrigerator, freezer and cabinets and had all kinds of food-related fun. The sourdough pot sits neglected on the shelf, tempting me to at least bake a loaf or make some pancakes. Instead we breakfast on fruit and cereal, and lunch on salads or fruit with crackers and cheese. A&W, Boston Pizza and the Riptide Marine Pub have provided filling dinners on the nights we didn't skip dinner and fall into bed too tired to eat. I did cook assemble a dinner of ramen with a vegetable stir fry topping, and another night we ate popcorn with Parmesan for dinner, but there are no photos to prove that I ever heated a burner or even turned on the microwave. 

The boat will be hauled out later today and we'll be living aboard on dry land for several days. That always adds a few new wrinkles to managing life on the boat. Maybe I can come up with a batch of yummy cookies for the shipyard crew as well as a cooked meal or two for the captain.

Back in the galley soon - see you then.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

There are countless endings to that phrase (link), but I'll work on my own kitchen version. The six giant lemons in the photo are from a friend's Yuma, Arizona orchard. Thanks, TS. The puny little specimen in the lower right was advertised as a "large" lemon at a local Seattle grocery. I guess there's large and there's Arizona homegrown large. 

With lotsa lemons in my kitchen - now what? I'm reveling in thoughts of lemon zest or gremolata on everything, lemon to squirt on fish, lemon to flavor cookies and cakes, lemony pasta, Hollandaise sauce, lemon bread... For now I'll just store them carefully and ponder the possibilities a little while longer.

Fast and Easy Hollandaise Sauce
Sour Cherry and Lemon Sourdough Bread
Light and Luscious Lemon Cake
Fettuccine with Lemon Sauce
Avgolemno: Greek Lemon Soup

Looking ahead...

Wow, 2011 departed in a rush and suddenly it's a week into the new year. 2012, it's here already, how did that happen? I'm still stuck in holiday mode with the Christmas tree only half naked, interesting items lurking on refrigerator shelves, and wild disorder in my workspaces. What have I been doing this past week? Whatever, one burst of activity will handle the surface chaos and set the stage for a terrific new year.


Looking ahead, it's time to focus on (1.) preparing lighter, healthier meals and (2.) growing more comfortable using my iPhone as a camera. These are both typical New Year's statements, resolutions too general to be useful or easily measured. A modest step in each category, an action to accomplish during January, would be more realistic. Okay, here goes, public statements of intention.


1. I will try a Meatless Monday commitment and prepare tasty, healthy meals without red meat one day each week. No cheating allowed, not even any pale or pink meats as ingredients.
2. iPhoneography is challenging and rewarding, but now it's time to share my photos. Every week in January I will post photos online from my smartphone. Hmmm, I hope I don't miss Photoshop and my Canon PowerShot too much.


Happy New Year, y'all.

FREE iPhoneography Workshop online - January 5-6, 2012

Yes, you read that correctly. This online 2-day workshop by CreativeLive features Jack Hollingsworth, an experienced commercial photographer who now works with all things iPhone - ebooks, podcasts, webinars, apps, workshops, photo tours....


Typically CreativeLive workshops are broadcast during the working day, with a full repeat shown each evening. This isn't a commercial, just an enthusiastic suggestion that you check into this offering. I've enjoyed and benefitted from two previous CreativeLive workshops and can't wait for this one.


Here's the LINK for more information and an easy enrollment process. Just in cast that link doesn't get you there, here's the URL all spelled out.


http://www.creativelive.com/courses/iphoneography-jack-hollingsworth


My iPhone Camera Project - Part 3


Our table yesterday at Alki Beach's Cactus Restaurant was under bright, indoor lighting and I used the iPhone's Auto settings all the way. I've stalled in the easy zone of iPhone photography, just taking quick snapshots, so it's time to break out and shoot with more courage. Thoughtful courage? 


Here's a baseline sample of my before shots... before the iPhoneography workshop. Some after shots will show up later on in January. What a perfect excuse to revisit Cactus.